The Loss Prevention Research Council’s 9th annual Impact Conference, held at the University of Florida in Gainesville from October 14-16, drew over 180 leading executives from the Loss Prevention industry, including those from over 35 major retailers.

This year’s Impact Conference allowed multiple retail and solution companies to work hand-in-hand addressing different major loss prevention issues via interactive working group and action team breakout sessions.

All participants benefited from multiple presentations on this year’s LPRC’s research results and offender interviewing session, using the results to calibrate their upcoming action plans.

The LPRC would like to give a special thanks to Bill Titus, VP Loss Prevention & Safety for Sears Holdings Corp., and the rest of LPRC’s Board of Advisors for helping map the organization’s research strategy going forward.

   




Thank you to Dr. Read Hayes for the article and photo submissions.
 

Nightline Special - Black Market for Counterfeit Goods Rakes in $500 Billion Yearly  Nightline embeds with LAPD to cover counterfeit case and problem in California. Trade groups claim criminals steal copyrighted material worth half a trillion dollars every year. Counterfeit goods account for nearly 10 percent of worldwide trade, an estimated $500 billion annually, according to the World Customs Organization. "There's more money made on counterfeit goods than narcotics," according to one LAPD officer. The front line in the fight is at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the biggest in the United States. More goods come through these ports than all other major American ports combined, approximately 40 percent of all maritime cargo. That's because this is the first stop for almost everything the U.S. imports from China, Japan and Korea. (Source yahoo.com)

Worn and Returned: The Truth About 'Wardrobing' - More coverage on Bloomingdales new "b-tags"  Who exactly are the biggest wardrobing offenders? It seems there's no one-size-fits-all answer. But what drives our desire to try and beat the system? Social pressure may be one factor. Prabhakar says that the state of the economy also plays a factor in wardrobing. "Stores saw a spike in wardrobing during the recession when people weren't spending as much but still had events to attend and interviews to go to," she explains. "You usually see a spike in wardrobing during times of economic downturn." It's technically illegal, but the problem is there aren't any real [legal] consequences," says Prabhakar. "And it's difficult to tell if someone has only worn a garment once." According to the National Retail Federation's 2012 Return Fraud Survey, which was completed by loss prevention executives at 60 retail companies, nearly two-thirds (64.9%) of retailers said they were victims of wardrobing last year. It's not just retailers who suffer from the negative effects of wardrobing—shoppers can also feel an impact in the form of stricter return policies. Bloomingdale's is one major retailer who is reacting to wardrobing with a pretty drastic measure. The store is now attaching "b- tags"—bulky, 3-inch black plastic tags—to dresses retailing for $150 or more. The tags are cleverly attached in places that are difficult to hide when the item is worn, such as on the front bottom hemline, and items returned without the b-tags will not be exchanged or refunded. "These b-tags are in place to reinforce the fact that Bloomingdale's will be unable to accept a return of merchandise that has been worn, washed, damaged, used and/or altered," a Bloomingdale's spokeswoman tells us. (Source thestreet.com)

Restaurants Turn To Affordable Cloud-Based Surveillance Technology to Safeguard Patrons and Inventory  Genetec, a leading provider of unified IP security solutions, announced today that its new cloud-based video monitoring service, Stratocast, is offering restaurants throughout North America an affordable way to help them safeguard their patrons and inventory. (Source businesswire.com)

Retail Whistleblower to get $309,687- former traveling pharmacist - Kmart Corporation to Pay U.S. More Than $2.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations for Partially Filled Prescriptions  Kmart Corporation has agreed to pay the United States and 32 participating states a total of $2,550,000 to settle allegations of false prescription claims by its national pharmacy centers to government health insurance programs, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced today. Kmart is alleged to have violated the False Claims Act by billing government health care programs (Medicaid, Tricare, and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program) for all drugs included in a prescription when, for many prescriptions, it dispensed only a portion of the prescribed drugs. Although billed in full to the government health care programs, the remaining portion of the prescriptions were never dispensed to beneficiaries and were later returned to stock. A portion of the settlement amount will go to Mark Kirsch, to settle the qui tam or “whistleblower” complaint against Kmart Corporation. Kirsch, a former Kmart traveling pharmacist who filed the action in Detroit in the Eastern District of Michigan, will receive $309,687. (Source fbi.gov)

UK TV show featuring shoplifters bragging about crimes blasted for ‘glorifying lowlifes’  Channel 5 documentary Shoplifters and Proud follows unashamed thieves like Owen Brazil and Jade Underwood as they boast about stealing from shops to order. Brazil, 29, from Manchester, gives camera crews a tour of the stores he has stolen from while describing the ‘buzz’ he gets from it
And Underwood, described by the show’s narrator as the ‘Queen of Shoplifting’, says: “There’s not one day gone by this week where I’ve not shoplifted.” But the show has been slammed by Greater Manchester police commissioner Tony Lloyd and Manchester councillor Pat Karney. (Source mirror.co.uk)

Calif. employers must make security accommodations for domestic violence victims starting Jan. 1  Employers will be prohibited from discriminating against victims of domestic violence and will be required to make reasonable accommodations in the workplace to protect them under a bill signed recently by the Gov. The new law bars employers from terminating or taking adverse actions against a worker based on his or her status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. While the law will also require employers to accommodate requests such as changing a worker's telephone extension to protect against potential harassing phone calls at work, it does not require any accommodations that would create an undue hardship on business operations. (Source vcstar.com)

The Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center studies shopping malls and sport venues as possible ‘soft targets’ for terrorist threats  The ACTIC is staffed by law enforcement officers from different agencies statewide, and investigates about 160 tips per month. Captain Harrison of the Department for Public Safety stated, “the counter terrorism center was initially created to combat terrorism. ” "Over the last several years during the holiday season especially when the malls are especially crowded we like to reach out to the mall community and let them know to be a little more vigilant during those times." (Source myfoxphoenix.com)

 

Workplace Violence: Meeting the subject of a threat assessment: Is it always necessary?  We know it takes a team effort and a multidisciplinary approach to solve the complex problem of workplace violence prevention. All successful threat assessments require both information and conversation. We must know as much as possible about the subject making the threat and his or her intended targets. And we must be able to communicate with as many people as we can (with confidentiality in mind, of course) to ask questions, get answers, and develop our potential solutions. Threat assessment is a team approach in every respect, because the decisions either come from or affect so many stakeholders. So if we agree that threat assessment is a collective effort and that we must get information from multiple sources, it's time to answer a question that has been posed to security professionals: Can you do an accurate threat assessment without actually meeting the subject? The short answer is yes. Given my choice between meeting with a subject or not, my answer stays the same: it depends. Will my meeting with that person help or hurt? Will it make it more or less likely the person will act out? Does it make it better or worse for the organization and any current or potential victims? Can I do my best work on the edges of the situation or do I need to be hands-on? Editors Note; Great article and a must read! (Source csoonline.com)

The waning era of the "big box" - smaller is better & urban is the place to be
From the announcements of just five Big Box retailers, anything from 1100 to 1350 big boxes could be shuttered over the next year or so. A pattern seems to be emerging, with growing retail buzz around how to make stores smaller, more selective, highly curated – in short, create a better customer experience. Due in part to the lack of availability of large spaces in prime areas and the speed with which a chain can get to market when it enters with a smaller store format. But we must also factor in the continued growth of online commerce – Internet pureplays which desire a brick-and-mortar presence, while current brick-and-mortar chains may find there’s less need for larger spaces as their online businesses expand. (Source therobinreport.com)

Kohl’s Department Stores to Open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day

J.C. Penney gives up on Martha - Macy's Wins - before court ruling

Target hires former CIA officer as "kids' gift detective"

Study: Self-checkouts causing shopper frustration, abandoned carts
Recent research from Tensator found that one out of every three shoppers (out of nearly 400 polled) has walked out of a store without the goods they intended to buy — simply because of a bad experience with a self-service checkout. The findings also revealed that 84 percent of those questioned needed staff assistance when using a self-service checkout and 60 percent of customers actually preferred the more traditional, staffed checkouts. (Source retailcustomerexperience.com)

Secure evidence gathering using mobile devices
At-Scene, a provider of mobile law enforcement applications and solutions, yesterday unveiled the iCrime Fighter Enterprise mobile evidence gathering solution for secure field data collection using smart phones and other mobile devices. The iCrime Fighter solution, which was officially launched yesterday at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia, allows officers in the field to capture field notes, evidence, images, videos, and audio statements at the scene using the iCrime Fighter app and securely upload all files to http://www.icrimefighter.com. At-Scene says that smart phones and other mobile devices are increasingly being used by law enforcement officers in the field because they offer convenience and enable departments to replace digital cameras, video cameras, audio recorders, and field notebooks with one hand-held solution. (Source homelandsecuritynewswire.com)

Pirate Attacks by Heavily Armed Gangs Surge off Nigerian Coast
Pirate attacks off Nigeria’s coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea, a major commodities hub, increasingly under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargoes and crews. Unlike the dangerous waters off Somalia and the Horn of Africa on the east coast of Africa, through which ships now speed with armed guards on board, many vessels have to anchor to do business off West African countries, with little protection. This makes them a soft target for criminals and jacks up insurance costs. Data from the IMB, which coordinates the fight against maritime crime and malpractice, showed Nigeria remained the main source of piracy in the region with 29 attacks on vessels recorded in the first nine months of 2013, up from 21 in the same period last year. (Source insurancejournal.com)


6-foot Florida gator takes a turn as Walmart greeter  The incident happened Sunday morning in Apopka, outside Orlando. The gator stopped in the entryway, causing the automatic doors to open and close until employees locked them. Orlando television station WKMG reports Apopka police officers tried to lure the gator away as customers gathered to watch and take pictures. The gator took off toward the nearby woods. Officers searched the area but couldn't find it. (Source cbs12.com)

14 Wal-Mart facts that will blow your mind
Here are some things you might not know about America's largest retailer:

• Wal-Mart averages a profit of $1.8 million every hour.
• 35 million people shop at Wal-Mart every day, as much as the population of Canada.
• Wal-Mart's $316 billion U.S. retail sales exceed those of Kroger (KR +0.40%), Target (TGT -0.29%), Costco (COST -0.52%) and Walgreens (WAG -0.29%) combined.
• The average Wal-Mart supercenter sells 140,000 individual items.
• Wal-Mart opened between four and five new stores every week in 2012.
• The Walton family is worth $150 billion, about as much as Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg combined.
• Wal-Mart commonly receives 25 applications for every open job.
• Between Wal-Mart's opening in 1962 and 2002, the number of single-store retailers in the U.S. declined 55%.
• Wal-Mart accounts for 25% of Clorox's (CLX +0.59%) total sales.
• Wal-Mart's top-selling item in 2012 was the banana.
• 90% of Americans live within 15 minutes of a Wal-Mart.
• Wal-Mart's net sales were $466 billion in 2012. That's more than Argentina's GDP.
• Wal-Mart has 2.2 million employees, more than the population of Houston.
• If Wal-Mart were a country, it would be the 26th largest economy in the world. (Source msn.com)

Quarterly Same Store Sales Results

Rent-A-Center Q3 down 0.8% with sales up 2.1%
Coach Q1 North American direct sales down 6.8% with North American total direct sales down 1%
Radio Shack Q3 down 8.4% with sales down 10.2% and a net loss of $112M